That also means he’s likely to wait for Hamilton to sign before he signs. B.J. Upton is represented by Larry Reynolds and, thus, might be a bit more willing to strike a quick deal. Issue on Upton is he’s a right-handed hitter. That’s going to force some more juggling with the lineup.

"There are a lot of great things to like about several of these guys on
the market, and we're doing our homework," he said. "But when you hear
what players expect and the years involved, that's a lot to consider. At
the end of the day, when you gauge the market, you have to be realistic
about where it will end up. And there's a strong possibility that one
will exceed where we're at."

The Mariners finished last in the AL West for a third consecutive season in 2012, and while the team has improved offensively each season (from 513 runs in 2010 to 556 runs in 2011 to 619 runs in 2012), the team has still finished dead last in runs scored in the AL every year.

Part of that is the club's pitcher-friendly ballpark, which is having its walls moved in to combat the lack of offense. But a lot of it is also a lack of firepower in the lineup, which led many to speculate that the M's might try to make a splash with Hamilton.

Zduriencik didn't rule it out entirely, but it doesn't sound like the Rangers' AL West foes will be making blockbuster offer.

"You never say never to anything," Zduriencik told Johns. "Don't get me wrong.
Even in the Prince [Fielder] thing, you never knew where it would end up and this
one you don't, either. But you kind of get an idea and feel. Last year
in my discussions with Scott, he was pretty sure he'd get at least seven
years with a '2' in front of the dollars. And he was right.

"So you always leave the door open, but in the end, you have to be realistic."

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